# CVE-2023-25806: Time discrepancy in authentication responses in OpenSearch

> Attackers can enumerate valid usernames via timing differences in authentication responses when using the internal basic identity provider.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 2 Mar 2023
- **Updated:** 5 Mar 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-c6wg-cm5x-rqvj

## What is CVE-2023-25806?

CVE-2023-25806 is a medium-severity vulnerability in opensearch-project security, published on 2 Mar 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

OpenSearch Security is a plugin for OpenSearch that offers encryption, authentication and authorization. There is an observable discrepancy in the authentication response time between calls where the user provided exists and calls where it does not. This issue only affects calls using the internal basic identity provider (IdP), and not other externally configured IdPs. Patches were released in versions 1.3.9 and 2.6.0, there are no workarounds.

Weakness: CWE-203 (Observable Discrepancy), CWE-208 (Observable Timing Discrepancy)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2023-25806?

4 open source packages ship an affected version, including org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security. It affects 2 products.


| Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security` | Maven | All versions | 1.3.9 |
| `org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security` | Maven | All versions | 1.3.9 |
| `org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security` | Maven | From 2.0.0 | 2.6.0 |
| `org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security` | Maven | From 2.0.0 | 2.6.0 |

Products: Amazon Opensearch, Amazon Opensearch Security.

## How do I fix CVE-2023-25806?

Upgrade org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security to a fixed version for your release line: 1.3.9 or 2.6.0.

## Is CVE-2023-25806 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-25806 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in opensearch-project security

- [CVE-2022-31115](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-31115/): Unsafe YAML deserialization in opensearch-ruby (high 8.8)
- [CVE-2025-9624](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-9624/): OpenSearch 3.2.0 - Nested Boolean/Disjunction asymmetric DoS (high 8.3)
- [CVE-2022-35980](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-35980/): OpenSearch vulnerable to Improper Authorization of Index Containing Sensitive Information (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2022-41918](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-41918/): Issue with fine-grained access control of indices backing data streams (medium 6.3)
- [CVE-2023-23933](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-23933/): Issue in Anomaly Detection with document and field level rules in numerical feature aggregations (medium 5.7)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2023-25806 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2023-25806 is a medium-severity vulnerability in opensearch-project security, published on 2 Mar 2023. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2023-25806 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected packages and fixed versions:
- org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.3.9
- org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security (Maven): affected all versions; fixed in 1.3.9
- org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security (Maven): affected from 2.0.0; fixed in 2.6.0
- org.opensearch.plugin:opensearch-security (Maven): affected from 2.0.0; fixed in 2.6.0

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25806/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25806/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2023-25806
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-25806
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2023-25806

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2023-25806/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.